South Korea Reaches WBC Quarterfinals for First Time Since 2009 After Beating Australia
by Kang Sang HeonPosted : March 10, 2026, 16:24Updated : March 10, 2026, 16:24
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South Korea pitcher Noh Kyung-eun reacts after catching a line drive off Australia’s Perkins in the second inning of a 2026 WBC Pool C game at the Tokyo Dome in Japan on March 9. [Photo=Yonhap]
South Korea advanced to the World Baseball Classic quarterfinals for the first time since its 2009 runner-up finish, breaking a three-tournament streak of group-stage exits.
Ryu Ji-hyeon’s team beat Australia 7-2 on March 9 at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo in Pool C play.
South Korea finished 2-2, tied with Taiwan and Australia, but claimed second place behind Japan (3-1) on the tournament’s minimum runs-allowed rate tiebreaker.
The stakes were clear: South Korea needed to win by at least five runs and allow no more than two. It did both.
South Korea’s Moon Bo-kyung hits a two-run home run against Australia in the second inning of a 2026 WBC Pool C finale at the Tokyo Dome in Japan on March 9. [Photo=Yonhap]
Moon Bo-kyung of the LG Twins set the tone. Batting fifth as the designated hitter, he hit a two-run homer in the second inning with a runner on and the game scoreless. He later delivered RBI singles in the third (with one out and a runner on second) and fifth (two outs, runner on second), finishing 3-for-5 with four RBIs.
Moon ended the group stage batting .538 with two homers, 11 RBIs and a 1.779 OPS. He matched the South Korean single-tournament WBC RBI record of 11 set by Kim Tae-kyun in 2009.
South Korea’s Lee Jung-hoo celebrates after an RBI double against Australia in the third inning of a 2026 WBC Pool C game at the Tokyo Dome in Japan on March 9. [Photo=Yonhap]
Defense also mattered. In the bottom of the ninth, with South Korea leading 7-2 and one out with a runner on first, Lee Jung-hoo of the San Francisco Giants sprinted and made a sliding catch on a ball that could have led to a run and threatened South Korea’s advancement scenario.
ESPN said Lee’s ninth-inning catch created a defining moment, adding that if the ball had dropped and Australia had scored, Australia would have advanced to the quarterfinals.
On the mound, South Korea had to adjust early. Starter Son Ju-young of LG worked a scoreless first inning but left after reporting sudden elbow pain, forcing a bullpen game from the second inning.
Veteran right-hander Noh Kyung-eun, born in 1984, was summoned and delivered two scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out one. He mixed a changeup, fastball, cutter, curve, slider and sinker to keep Australia in check.
“Today’s MVP is Noh Kyung-eun,” Ryu told reporters after the game. “In an unprepared situation, he gave us two innings. I want to say I respect him.”
South Korea pitcher Noh Kyung-eun celebrates after catching a line drive against Australia in the second inning of a 2026 WBC Pool C game at the Tokyo Dome in Japan on March 9. [Photo=Yonhap]
Reliever Jo Byeong-hyeon of the SSG Landers closed it out under heavy pressure. He entered in the eighth with one out and a runner on first and South Korea leading 6-2, with three more runs allowed meaning elimination. Jo finished the eighth without damage and returned for the ninth, striking out the first batter, issuing a walk, then recording two flyouts to preserve the two-run-allowed requirement.
South Korea reliever Jo Byeong-hyeon applauds after finishing an inning against Australia in the eighth of a 2026 WBC Pool C finale at the Tokyo Dome in Japan on March 9. [Photo=Yonhap]
South Korea will play the Pool D winner in the quarterfinals at 7:30 a.m. March 14 (Korea time). In Pool D, the Dominican Republic and Venezuela were tied atop the standings with three wins each.
